Latest spotlights

The Burden of Non-Mortgage Debt & Opportunities to Support Low-Income Household

This report from TASC scrutinises the policy and social context of non-mortgage household debt in Ireland – and specifically problem debt faced by low-income Irish households.

Problem debt or over-indebtedness occurs when households are over-burdened by debt and do not have the means to meet essential living costs and debt repayments when they fall due. This project particularly focuses on the way debt impacts the most marginalised households in Irish society, including those who are low-income and single parents.

In both policy and practice, unmanageable levels of personal debt are often seen as a personal failing or problem. This attitude ignores the macroeconomic drivers of debt and places the blame on borrowers who are accused of making poor financial decisions. The report challenges this notion and recognises that debt is intimately connected to key structural and political factors outside individual action and behaviour.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is working with partners across the UK including Public Health England, as well as the Department of Health and health trusts in Northern Ireland, and the health service in Ireland, on the response to Covid-19 (Coronavirus).

Belfast Trust’s Regional Viral Laboratory is now one of 12 UK centres testing for novel coronavirus – the local facility will speed up results for Northern Ireland.

A helpline has also been established for anyone in Northern Ireland who has travelled to China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau in the past 14 days. The helpline number is 0300 200 7885 and is available 24/7.

To help reduce any potential spread of coronavirus, the PHA is urging people to follow the steps that we recommend for similar illnesses such as cold and flu – catch it, bin it, kill it. Always carry tissues to catch your cough or sneeze, dispose of the tissue as soon as possible after using it, and clean your hands as soon as you can as germs can spread to every surface you touch.

The National Public Health Emergency Team is monitoring the situation in relation to Covid-19 (Coronavirus).

Ireland has advanced plans in place as part of its comprehensive preparedness to deal with public health emergencies such as Covid-19 (Coronavirus). These plans have helped to respond to previous incidents such as pandemic influenza, SARS and MERS.

In the containment phase, the focus is on all cases no matter how mild.

In the mitigation phase, the focus is on cases experiencing the most severe symptoms.

Containment Strategy: Ireland is currently in a containment phase. This means that, irrespective of case severity, all efforts are focused on identifying cases and their contacts early, in order to prevent further transmission (secondary spread).

Mitigation Strategy: Ireland is prepared to initiate a second phase, if necessary, called the mitigation phase. This will be activated where containment is no longer effective in controlling the spread of Covid-19 (Coronavirus). In this phase, the focus will be on identifying the cases who are most severely unwell.

Ireland will continue to monitor the global developments of this new virus and respond accordingly.

To find out more about Covid-19 (Coronavirus) visit the HSE website here

To find out more about Ireland’s preparedness visit the Department of Health website here

A new report by IPH providing an overview of key policies that aim to support older adults to be more physically active was launched at the Physical Activity & Older Adults: What Works? conference organised by the IPH.

Prepared by Dr Conor Cunningham and Prof Roger O’Sullivan, the report aims to be a resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

It forms part of an ongoing programme of work by the IPH on the theme of physical activity and ageing, focused on the role of healthcare professionals, both North and South, in supporting older adults to be more physically active.

The ‘walkability’ of Ireland’s cities and towns needs to be improved to support people to live healthier lives, a conference organised by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) was told.

Healthcare professionals, government officials, policymakers and community organisations, from North and South, gathered to consider the role of physical activity in keeping the island of Ireland’s ageing population healthier for longer.

Over 977,000 people are currently aged 65 or over across the island. This will increase to over 2 million people by 2051.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that people aged 65 and over should do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as a brisk walk, five times a week.

But research shows that 1 in 2 people aged 65 and over across the island do not get enough physical activity.

Keynote speaker Prof Shane O’Mara, the author of a new book In Praise of Walking, told the conference that more is needed to support older people to build walking into their lives.

Prof O’Mara said: “Our bodies are designed for walking. Within the first few months of life, as babies we try to walk. But as we grow older, at a time when the benefits of physical activity are so important, we become less active and walk less.

Joint Public Health Annual Conference 2019

Date 27 Nov 2019

Venue Titanic Belfast

REGISTRATION is now open to attend the Joint Public Health Annual Conference which takes place on 27th November in the Titanic Hotel Belfast.

The conference is hosted by the Public Health Agency, the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, Centre for Public Health at Queen's University Belfast, the Health Service Executive Ireland, UCC, and the Department of Health NI.

The theme of the conference is ‘Innovation in Public Health’ and aims to raise the profile of public health research, interventions and innovation, and engage local professionals, practitioners and researchers working in broad field of public health.

You can register here. Closing date to register is 4th October, although places are limited and may fill up before the closing date.

The day will provide an excellent opportunity to network across sectors and disciplines. In addition to the keynote plenary sessions, delegates will have the opportunity to participate in a number of parallel workshops showcasing the innovative approaches that are currently underway across the island of Ireland.

There is a fundamental shift across Europe towards making research more transparent, collaborative, accessible and efficient. Ireland already has a strong research reputation with a proven track record of collaborating and competing successfully in Europe and beyond. We recognise the importance of collaborating at a national level also to better support research and researchers in the key areas of open access publications, FAIR research data, infrastructure, skills and competencies, and incentives and rewards.

Open research requires system-thinking and a change in research culture and behaviour. The National Open Research Forum (NORF) is leading a critical and informed approach to framing open research in Ireland. It is a great example of how collaborative working at a national level can help to reach agreement on difficult choices which support our common purpose of delivering excellence, talent and impact across the Irish research system

Commercial foods for infants and young children in the WHO European Region (2019)

A study of the availability, composition and marketing of baby foods in four European countries

In order to help Member States understand what commercial foods for infants and young children are currently on the market, and to support implementation of the Guidance on ending inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children at the European level, the WHO Regional Office for Europe developed a methodology for identifying commercial baby foods available in retail settings and collecting data on their nutritional content, as well as various aspects of their packaging, labelling and promotion. This publication describes the findings from a study conducted in four countries of the WHO European region based on this methodology.

New research reveals households on low incomes need to spend up to 1/3 of take home income to afford a healthy food basket

Research highlights challenges facing low-income households in balancing the expense of a basic, acceptable and nutritious food basket while meeting other weekly household expenses.

New research by safefood has revealed some families on low income need to spend up to one third (33%) of their take home income to afford a basic food basket that is acceptable and meets nutritional needs. In general, households on a low-income tend to eat less well, have poorer health outcomes with higher levels of excess weight and its complications.